SUAMICO (NBC 26) — A snow leopard has a new home at Suamico's NEW Zoo & Adventure Park.
Park management said in a news release they welcomed snow leopard "Bodhi" on Dec. 12. The park said Bodhi's arrival comes just days after the grand opening of the new Lee & Kathy Anderson Snow Leopard Den and the outdoor Steve & Bonnie Van Lannen Habitat.
“The Snow Leopard Species Survival Plan, or SSP, recommended that Bodhi come to the NEW Zoo,” Drew Dinehart, curator of animals, said in the release. “As an AZA-accredited zoo, we know that the SSP’s recommendations are in the best interest of the animals, especially for such a critically endangered species like this. The recent completion of our new snow leopard habitat meant that this was the perfect time for him to make the move.”
Park leaders said Bodhi is five years old, was born at the Cleveland Zoo and moved to a zoo in Kansas with his brother in 2019.
Bodhi will be living close together with the zoo's female leopard Ahava, the release said. Park leaders said the NEW Zoo does not currently have a breeding recommendation from the SSP.
The park said Bodhi will be kept behind-the-scenes as he gets used to his new home, but will keep community members updated when Bodhi is ready to come outside.
